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GOBIE anti-pollution robot in place at Port Vauban
I am happy to see that in recent days there is a robot floating in the water at Port Vauban. This small anti-pollution robot is called GOBIE, and is a marine vacuum cleaner for waste and surface hydrocarbons.
Thanks to a pump it creates a slight current in order to attract waste towards a receiving bag. It’s plugged into a shore power outlet, is fully autonomous and can operate 24 hours a day. The aim is to move it around the port to ensure cleanliness of the water, which is desperately needed at Port Vauban.
Cleaning waste from the water in Port Vauban
Port Vauban is a certified harbour for the European ‘Clean Harbours’ programme so it’s good to see they adhere to a certification that has annual monitoring and certification that is reviewed every three years.
Port Vauban is a certified harbour under the EU “Clean Harbours” certification (map: Ports Propres)
Many years ago, I tried to get interest from the port to sponsor and install a Seabin which is now a very well known company in the marine industry. The Seabin catches an estimated 1.5 tons of marine debris per year (depending on weather and debris volumes) including microfibres, fuel, oil and micro plastics down to 2 mm small. The catch bag has the capacity to hold up to 20kgs and can be changed multiple times per day.
Aside from the physical mechanics of having a Seabin unit capable of displacing 25,000 litres of water a day and removing trash from the water, Port Vauban would have had the opportunity to monitor marine trash and get the yachting community thinking about the trash in the water. At that time, it was deemed too expensive by the port and as we know here in France the impact of local and regional decision-making can be time-consuming. Therefore sadly, it’s another challenge relating to the Antibes Yachting community that comes down to individuals or community funding. My perspective: What exactly is the cost they dedicate annually on care and cleanliness of the marina environment?
One of the challenges the port stated was the consideration for who would be responsible for cleaning the bags of collected waste and maintenance of the unit. Taking ownership and responsibility for cleaner waterways is the first step. Each Seabin client has its own waste service provider and management plan; I have never seen any detailed public information relating to the recycling procedure or waste management strategy at Port Vauban – you can find recycling bins all along the IYCA, opposite the Prè des Pêcheurs square near old town and the main recycling bins and signage on the port side by the Société des Régates d’Antibes. Note: This ‘Point Propre’ is open from Tuesday to Friday from 9am to midday; all other times you need to request access from the port office.
Allocating cleaning and maintenance staff of in-water units hasn’t been an issue for other marinas – there are over 850 Seabin units in operation worldwide including other French ports in Golfe Juan, La Ciotat, La Grande Motte and YCPR Port de la Pointe Rouge Marseille.
This post isn’t about whether one machine, device or initiative is better than the other. We can all take responsibility and make positive actions to support the health and quality of our marine environment here in Antibes and the greater Côte d’Azur region. As well as technological devices, we have to approach the problem with science and education so the community and industry is engaged to change.
I look forward to following the updates about the GOBIE unit at Port Vauban. If anyone has any further information on the manufacturer of the GOBIE let me know in the comments below!
Resources:
Clean Harbours / Ports Propres: https://www.ports-propres.org/en/ports-certifies/06-port-vauban/
Clean Superyacht Marina Campaign: https://www.cleansuperyachtmarina.com
Antibes Yachting interviewed for MYF’s podcast “Yachting & Beyond”
It was a pleasure to be invited to be interviewed for the yachting podcast, Yachting & Beyond, hosted by MegaYachts Fan.
About MYF’s podcast
Yachting and Beyond celebrates all things positive and exciting for the superyacht industry and beyond; this is a podcast series for ocean explorers, yacht owners, travel lovers and everything in between.
Co-hosts Ludvig Lindholm and Sophia Llewellyn will be bringing you this weekly podcast exploring topics such as entrepreneurship, luxury travel, design, events, sustainability, business development and more.
Dropping every Monday, tune in to hear the latest from industry experts, thought leaders, game changers, business owners and many more.
Here’s the episode description:
In this episode, we sit down with yachting industry expert, Rebecca Whitlocke. Originally hailing from New Zealand, Rebecca is now based on the beautiful Mediterranean coast in Juan-les-Pins on the Côte d’Azur, France.
With over 10 years experience in the yachting industry and over 20 years in the world of travel, Rebecca is now the founder of Antibes Yachting. Bridging a gap in the market, Antibes Yachting supports the local community and businesses linked to it.
Rebecca’s credibility is reflected by her established and far reaching online following, as well as her admirable list of partnerships and clients including Yachting International Radio. From private jet charter bookings to luxury villa rentals, no two days are the same for Rebecca as she works with a varied and international clientele.
Click on the links below to listen to the Antibes Yachting episode:
Anchor.FM: Industry Deep Dive with Antibes Yachting Founder, Rebecca Whitlocke
Spotify: Rebecca Whitlocke from Antibes Yachting interviewed for MYF yachting podcast, Yachting & Beyond
Apple Podcasts: Antibes Yachting Founder, Rebecca Whitlocke shares marketing insight for the yachting industry
The Superyacht Academy launches first Yachting Masterclass
This is the first 360 holistic program where you can learn in-depth about all professions that create a yacht. From yacht design to yacht building to sales and marketing, all the way to operations and ownership.
This program provides both the industry knowledge and management skills needed to lead a successful business in yachting.
The Yachting Masterclass is designed for anyone who wants to fully understand the yachting industry. From new yacht owners, banks, family offices, brokers, suppliers and anyone in the yachting industry who wants to move into a new or more senior management role. From yacht crew looking to a shore-side management role, to shore-based employees aiming to broaden their skills and enhance their career prospects; from yachting professionals seeking to broaden their employment horizons, to companies, who wish to develop their experienced staff and enhance their industry knowledge, and management efficiency of their business.
- Land-based professionals: brokers, designers, yacht managers, charter brokers, suppliers, lawyers, insurance companies, etc.
- Luxury Industry – people working in non-yachting luxury sectors such as hospitality, banks, family offices, etc.
- Crew onboard
- Students
- Members of the Yacht Club of Monaco
- Members of the Cluster
The Program & Learning Outcomes
The Program runs for 7 weeks with lessons twice a week: It runs to an executive schedule so you can join after work! All sessions will be in English, with French translation if necessary.
Thursday 5pm- 7pm, theory + open floor
Saturday 9am-11am, theory + guest speaker
The learning outcomes of the various outcomes aim to help students:
- Understand the yachting industry holistically
- Understand who the yacht owners are and what are their expectations
- Identify the principles of yacht designs
- Learn yachting vocabulary, seamanship terms and have nautical fluency
- Recognise the main players in the industry, shipyards, designers and brokerage houses
- Identify all roles onboard a yacht
The Modules & Speakers
Marcela de Kern Royer is the program director coordinating the course, however every module has been done with an expert on each subject and every course has a specialised guest speaker sharing years of experience and insights.
- The course starts with the BASICS introducing terminology such as port side, starboard, bulwarks, etc. You will get an overview of the lingo that shipyards, crew and brokers use on a daily basis. Then it moves onto THE MARKET: how many yachts are there? what is the size of our fleet? the class will analyse the data and the numbers to truly understand our niche.
- YACHT OWNERS: how many millions do you need to be considered wealthy? who are they, where they made their money, why they own a yacht, etc…
- YACHT DESIGN: discussion about the principles of exterior yacht design, and then the module goes deeper into interior design.
- NAVAL ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING: what are the basics you should know (keeping it simple and straightforward!).
- YACHT BUILDING: what is the process of selling a yacht (and pricing a yacht), what type of luxury marketing works, the yacht building process from keel laying, superstructure erection, outfitting, launching commissioning, sea trials, etc.
- Everything you need to know about CLASSIFICATION, MARITIME LAW, and FLAG, what does it mean to have a Cayman Flag? how can you register a yacht and what is the trust cost of ownership?
- YACHT CHARTER: everything you need to know to charter a yacht, the differences between a charter manager and a retail charter.
- YACHT MANAGEMENT: yacht accounting, financial management, safety and security management, ISM, ISPS, crew management, technical management, refit project management, new build project management, etc.
- REFIT, MARINAS: which ones are suitable to welcome superyachts, what are the top marinas in the world, what is the future of marinas and more.
- CREW: what are the roles onboard, what are the certificates needed, salary guidelines, life on board as crew, etc..
- Who are YACHT AGENTS, what do they do? what are the BEST HELICOPTERS TO GO ONBOARD, ALL ABOUT YACHT AVIATION and the course finishes with SUSTAINABILITY talking about alternative propulsions, green trends and the future of yachting!
The Yachting Masterclass modules will give you a comprehensive study of the yachting industry.
| Module | DATE | Time | Guest Speakers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seamanship Terminology & Vocabulary | 10th April | Saturday | 9am-11am | Superyacht captain |
| The Superyacht Market | Boat International | |||
| Yacht owners – Yacht owners experience | 15th April | Thursday | 5pm- 7pm | Wealth X |
| Exterior Design | 17th April | Saturday | 9am-11am | Espen Oeino |
| Interior Design | Sorgiovanni | |||
| Naval architecture | Perry Van oossanen | |||
| Engineering | 29 April | Thursday | 5pm- 7pm | Matteo Magherini from Lateral |
| Propulsion Systems (engines) | MTU | |||
| Shipyards & Yacht Building | 02 May | Saturday | 9am-11am | Paris Baloumis, Oceanco |
| Classification | Engel de Boer from Lloyds | |||
| Maritime Law | 6th May | Thursday | Alex Teji Hill Dickinson | |
| Flag | 5pm- 7pm | Ed Henny form Cayman | ||
| Yacht Ownership | Janet Xanthopoulos from Rosemont | |||
| Insurances | 8th May | Saturday | 9am-11am | Olivier de Roffignac from Pantaenius |
| Yacht Charter | 13th of May | Thursday | 5pm- 7pm | Burgess |
| Yacht Sales | 15th May | Saturday | 9am- | Fraser |
| Luxury Marketing | Farouk Nefzi from Feadship | |||
| Yacht Refit | 27th of May | Thursday | 5pm- 7pm | Amico &CO |
| Marinas | various Marinas | |||
| Yacht Management | 29th of May | Saturday | 9am-11am | Fraser or Ocean Independence |
| Family Offices | 5pm- 7pm | JTC | ||
| Yacht Crew | 5th of June | Saturday | 9am-11am | Josh Conquest, Superyacht captain |
| Yacht agents | Pesto Seagroup | |||
| Yacht Aviation | 10th of June | Thursday | 5pm- 7pm | Airbus |
| Sustainability | Seaindex, TBC |
The Fees : Entire Course or Modular
If students decide to take individual modules, the single price is 250€* per course. In-class participation at the Yacht Club is recommended, however virtual attendance is also possible at a reduced fee of 150€*/3 hours or 1000€* for the entire online course virtually via Zoom live.
*Prices are HT (only members would get VAT reduced prices)
Virtual Discounts :
Employer Sponsorship :
Many companies fully or partly sponsor their employees for these courses and actively encourage personal development in line with company priorities. You should start by discussing your training request with your line manager, training manager or human resources manager to enquire about support available. Make sure you have considered your reasons for wanting to do the course and how it will benefit yourself, your job role and your company. Employers can be very positive if you have thought through your reasons for undertaking the course and demonstrate the self-discipline and commitment required to gain maximum benefit from a training programme. The Course Director is always happy to directly talk to you and your manager to answer any questions about the course.
To Register
Spaces for the Yachting Masterclass are limited. You can register and find the terms and conditions here: https://labelleclasseacademy.com/courses/yachting-masterclass-2/
About the Course Director
Marcela de Kern Royer is the Course Director. She is a Monaco resident, founder and owner of Onboard, a consulting firm based in Monaco specialised in the sales to HNWI and luxury marketing in the yachting industry. Previously she was commercial director for ICON Yachts shipyard in the Netherlands and was also the founder and president of the Young Professionals in Yachting (YPI) Monaco chapter, among many other pursuits as being a yacht manager, and a supplier in the industry she has a wide perspective of the industry.
Marcela authored the first textbook ever written about The Superyacht Industry, and she is the founder of the superyacht industry-forum, a platform to connect all professionals. She is currently developing Genoa Superyacht Hub. Moreover, she is a professor at the International University of Monaco.
Apart from her professional services, she is also an influential social media figure in yachting. Marcela speaks fluently six languages, Spanish being her mother tongue, English, French, Italian, Portuguese and German. She has a passion for all things yachting and is known worldwide for being a trusted spokesperson for the yachting industry.
Feature image credit: ©McClic-Yacht-Club-de-Monaco.jpg